Frank Lloyd Wright's Final Home!

Home Photos

When we sit gazing out our sliding glass doors over the yard or put our bare feet on the warm floor kept toasty by the under floor heating, we have Frank Lloyd Wright to thank for that. Short of upgraded appliances and fad changes in surface materials, many of the architectural concepts we enjoy most in our homes today came from Mr. Wright.

The most famous architect in American history, Frank Lloyd Wright designed over 1,000 structures (532 were completed) in his 70-years-plus career - mostly homes but also hotels, schools, churches, the Johnson Wax Headquarters and the Guggenheim Museum. His final design was the Norman Lykes House in Phoenix in the same year of his death in 1959. It is now for sale priced at $3.25 million.

With a site on top of Palm Canyon with views of the valley, Wright began the Lykes design by replicating the curves of the mountainsides, making the home an integral part of its environment and providing big views for its owners and visitors. Though Wright passed away before finishing the working plans, the Lykes hired his apprentice, John Rattenbury, to complete the plans according to the details set forth by Wright. The couple loved the completed plans, though it was another seven years before they started construction. When they did, Rattenbury oversaw the build and the home was completed in 1967. In addition to the structure itself, Wright also designed the furniture and built-ins for the home.